What If
by ciaragemmam
Summary: What if it was Ellen who was mauled by the hellhounds? What if Jo was still alive? What if she went hunting with the boys? And what if Dean reciprocated her feelings? Supernatural - as if Jo joined the boys after 5x10.
1. Chapter 1

**I'm not sure where I'm going with this. Honestly, I'm not even sure if I'm gonna keep writing it. But something told me that I had to, and it's been so long – so damn long – since I've been able to write anything I decided it was a good idea. It's short, but hopefully future chapters will be longer.**

**If you recognise it, it's not mine.**

"Mom, I'm not leaving." Jo's voice was low as she stared her mother in the eyes, refusing to give up,

"Joanna Beth, you listen here. You a...and those boys are gonna get out of here, and y'all are gonna stop death. Do you understand? You do not disobey your momma. Not now." Ellen's voice cracked at the last syllable. She held the fuse in her left hand, her right was still putting pressure on the bites in her side.

"Momma...momma, please. Don't do this." Jo started crying, tears streaking through the dirt and blood on her face. She hated crying, hated seeming weak in front of her mother, even worse about being weak in front of Sam and Dean.

"Jo...come on. Jo, we need to move. For once in your life, do what your mom says and come with me."

"I CAN'T. I can't leave my mom behind, Dean. If it was your mom sitting here, what would you do?" Jo croaked out, tears filling her eyes when her mother smacked her cheek.

"You listen right here to me, go out, stop that goddamn Lucifer and go live your life. Now you git, while I talk to Dean. Understood?" Ellen was using the last of her strength to make Jo realise how important it was to her that she live.

Jo kissed her mother's forehead, before standing up, defeated. Sam wrapped an arm around her and walked out to the back of the store, leaving Ellen and Dean there. Dean got onto his hunkers, looking Ellen evenly in the eye.

"Dean, y...you look out for my girl. I..if she wants t...to keep hunting...you let her. And you h...help her. K...keep her safe."

Dean looked down at the woman whom he had come to regard as a mother to him. No matter how tired or defeated he'd been, Ellen had been there. And now she wouldn't be, and it was all his fault.

"O...oh Dean? Y...you have my permission. But I...I mean it. If you h...hurt my little girl, I'll haunt y..you from w...wherever I end up. Now, D...Dean...kick it in the ass." She grasped his hand in hers, squeezing once before letting go, and giving him a pointed look. Dean handed her the brush and string contraption that they'd rigged up. Pulling the first string moved a brush to clear some salt away. Pulling the second would open the doors.

Dean got to the door at the back room, before turning. "Thank you, Mom. Thank you for everything." He'd refused to call anyone that, but knew that Ellen was the one woman most deserving of that title he'd met. Opening the back door, he saw Jo, her eyes red but dry. She had her gun in hand, a knife tucked into her belt. Sam hadn't wiped away the last tear that was slowly trickling down his cheek, but his eyes were normal. They all looked at each other before climbing onto the roof, and down the fire escape.

Jo had just jumped down when the blast came, the front windows smashing outward from the sheer force of the head and energy. There was a couple of screeches from hell hounds, and then nothing. The only noise was a few car alarms going off thanks to the blast. Jo stood there, unmoving, staring at the scene before Dean grabbed her arm and pulled her.

"Jo, all I wanna do now is cry for your mom, but we need to do this. Then we'll cry." She blinked back a few tears as she realised that Dean was right, that they needed to defeat Lucifer, stop Death. Then she could cry.

They got to the site where Lucifer was beginning his ritual. Hiding behind a tree, Dean started giving out orders.

"Jo, stay here. Stay safe, you understand me? We have one shot, and I don't want you hurt." She just nodded, and watched.

It was blurry as she watched Sam walk up to Lucifer, to the meatsuit he was wearing, trying to reason with him. Sam still thought that he might have a chance. Dean took the moment of surprise and fired, but the Colt only stopped Lucifer for a moment. He stood up, and continued chanting. Jo was about to get up, to run, when Castiel stood in front of her, motioning for her to stay there. Dean and Sam were pulled over by Cas too, before the three of them landed in a heap on Bobby's floor. She heard his surprised yell, and heard the wheels on his chair come closer. Sam and Dean had stood up by now, and she felt Dean's hands around her arms, pulling her up onto her feet. One strong arm went under her knees, lifting her into a fireman's lift. The other was behind her head, supporting her. Dean sat on the couch, holding Jo to him, her face to his shoulder as she cried for the mother she had just lost.


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm shocked people appeared to like this. So, here's the next one. I'm imagining one chapter an episode, maybe two if there's a lot of plot.**

**If you recognise it, I don't own it.**

It had been thirteen days since Ellen's death, and Jo was still grieving. Dean wished that they had at least had a body to burn, to at least give Jo some closure. She was hurting, and hadn't spoken since Death had risen.

Dean had sat on the couch with her for the night, holding her while she cried, dropping soft kisses on the top of her head. Eventually her wracking sobs stopped, and she fell asleep, her head nestled in Dean's shoulder. He didn't dare sleep, even though that was all he wanted to do. Every hour or so, she would shake violently, as if having a nightmare. She never woke up, just shuddered and mumbled. Whenever she did this, Dean would hold her closer, rubbing his hand on her upper back to calm her. The sun set with them in position, and it rose with them like this, Bobby rolling in with a tray on his lap, two plates filled with bacon and pancakes – the only breakfast food Sam could make.

"Dean, do you wanna wake her up? You didn't eat after you came in, she's gonna need food and water, especially with all that cryin'." Bobby looked at the young woman. Even in sleep, her face was contorted with pain. Dean started shaking her slowly.

"Jo...hey, Jo, babe, c'mon. You've gotta eat, ok? C'mon and wake up." Jo roused slowly, blinking. There was a moment of peace on her face before anguish broke through and she closed her eyes. After a few seconds, she realised that she was curled up on Dean's lap, and tried to get up, but her legs were too weak after the long sleep, and collapsed from under her.

"Hey, I know you're jealous of Bobby in his chair, but you're not getting one. Sit up here, Sam made breakfast." Dean helped her settle into the cushions on Bobby's threadbare sofa, and handed her the fuller plate. It may have been meant for him, but Jo needed strength more. She took the plate, looked at the food, and ate. She may have only had a pancake, a piece of bacon and some water, but it was something.

The foursome settled into an uncomfortable routine. Jo stayed on the couch, curled up there. Dean would help her upstairs, get her into bed. She'd walk to the bathroom and back when needed, walk out to the kitchen when food was ready, but couldn't do anything else. Didn't want to do anything else.

It wasn't till Dean had put Jo to bed the thirteenth night that he realised that it was almost Christmas. Snow was on the ground, but they had been so preoccupied on helping Jo get through her pain that they hadn't noticed that the holiday was creeping up on them quickly. Dean walked into the kitchen, interrupting Bobby and Sam's conversation.

"It's December twenty-three." Dean said, simply.

Sam looked up. "Yeah, it's two days till Christmas. A holiday that we don't celebrate."

"I want to this year. Jo needs it. She needs to realise that even though Ellen's gone, she has us. That we're not going anywhere." Dean looked at the two, their heads nodding in unison. "I'm gonna go to Walmart and try get some stuff, have as normal a Christmas as possible. Bobby, I'm gonna take your truck. I won't fit everything into the impala."

Dean drove to the WalMart in Sioux Falls, taking a cart from the greeter at the door. He steeled himself, knowing that he needed to get through this, his hatred of WalMart be damned. He moved the mettle cart through the store, picking up items. He even bought vegetables – carrots, potatoes, green beans and sweet potatoes. He picked up some desperately needed 'everyday' food, as well as a large turkey. He then faced the women's aisle, unsure what Jo would need. He knew she was a girl, and that she'd need girl items, but the idea of actually buying...feminine hygiene products...scared him more than the impending Apocalypse.

"Do you need any help?" Dean turned around to see a middle aged woman smiling up at him. "You look lost, getting something for your girlfriend?" Dean wasn't going to go into the story of his relationship with Jo, and decided that the best course of action was to let the woman assume what was happening.

"Yeah. She lost her mom, and I don't know what she'll need." The woman nodded, leading Dean down the aisle.

"What age is she?"

"She's twenty four. I just don't know what she needs right now."

The woman picked up pink and purple packages and put them into the cart. She added a few bottles of shampoo and conditioner that smelled fruity, unlike the stuff they had been using.

"Give her these, and bring some ice cream with you when you go back. Just give her time and space, let her come to you" Dean nodded, thanking the woman and moving away.

He got to the dessert aisle, and bought boxed cake mixes, and picked up ice cream and pie from their respective areas. Finally he stopped at the clothing section, deciding to stay well away from the rest of the store. He looked at the women's clothes on display. Most of it was brightly coloured and completely impractical for their lifestyles, but he picked up a few pairs of jeans in Jo's size, along with a leather belt and some flannel shirts for her to be comfortable in. He also grabbed some pajamas, as Jo had been living in a pair of Dean's sweats. Finally he got to the register, and loaded the large pile of items onto the conveyor belt, neatly packed them into bags and paid with money he'd been saving for upgrades to the Impala. Jo was worth it though.

It was just hitting midnight when he arrived back into the Singer Auto Yard, and there was a figure on the front porch, arms around knees, holding themselves together. Dean realised that it was Jo there, and left the bags in the truck, going straight to her.

He reached around her, wanting to pull her up and bring her in, when she spoke to him. "Dean...my momma's dead. My momma and daddy are dead. She shouldn't be dead. How do I...how do I stop it hurting so much?" Her voice cracked on the last word, and fresh tears ran down her cheeks. It was the first time she'd spoken or cried since they'd arrived back in Bobby's. Jo pulled the shirt she was wearing – Sam's red plaid shirt – tighter around her, as if it would shield her from the crippling pain in her heart.

"Jo...I don't know what to say."

"How did you get through it, Dean? How did you stop falling apart after your dad died?"

"Because...because I didn't care, Jo. I didn't care. I miss him, yeah, but his life was just about hunting. It had been since I was five, since he learned about demons and about what had really killed Mom. My childhood, Sammy's childhood...no child should deal with that. He made it seem like his life was perfect before Mom died, they had a rocky marriage at best. I just...maybe if we'd had a life where he was around, where I wasn't a father to my baby brother, maybe then I'd feel how you did. But honestly? After I'd processed it, I just felt relief." Dean had never admitted that to anyone. He kept his childhood, what he'd done, what his father had done, locked up. He was never going to admit that. But he could – and would – admit that he wasn't upset when his father had died. He was relieved.

"I just...I know she's gone. I know she's not coming back. But whenever I hear a door open, or a cell phone ring, I think it's her. I think I'm gonna see her again. A...and I know I'm not." Jo leaned into Dean's side, allowing him to wrap his arm around her.

"That's how I felt when Sammy died. I couldn't cope. I let his corpse lie on the bed in the damn hunting shack I'd holed up in for three days before I made that deal. I just...if I'd buried him, it was over. And I got to say goodbye."

"Dean...what were her last words? What did she say to you?" Jo stared up at him, her brown eyes glistening with unshed tears.

Dean didn't know what to say. He didn't want Jo thinking he wanted to get into her pants – even though if the opportunity arose, he would – but he didn't want her not knowing that Ellen had given her blessing.

"She told me I had her permission, but if I messed up she'd haunt me. And to kick Lucifer in the ass – which I really wish I had." Dean gave a tight smile, squeezing Jo that bit tighter.

"S...she approved? Of wh-" Jo started to speak, then cut herself off. Ellen had approved of her and Dean.

"Jo, I'm not gonna rush you. I'm never gonna rush you. I'll be here. You need time, and I'm gonna give it to you." Dean squeezed again, while Jo wrapped her other arm around his waist. She began dozing, and he carried her back to bed, before getting his purchases out of the truck. He roped Sammy into helping him carry the bags in. The groceries went away into the cupboards, except the frozen turkey that was left out. Dean carried the bags with Jo's clothes and toiletries up into her bedroom, except for a pair of jeans and a shirt, that he was going to give to her for Christmas. Around three am, completely exhausted, he collapsed into his bed.

The next day they tried to organise Christmas. Sam and Bobby drove out to a tree lot to try find a tree, while Dean organised the decorations. Jo was moving more than she had since Carthage, and agreed to start peeling potatoes and carrots and making stuffing. The two moved in unison, getting the house ready. By the time Sam and Bobby had arrived back – with a respectable tree, date considering – they had the place almost ready. The foursome decorated the tree with popcorn strings and some spray paint, all the decorations which they had available. The rest of the day passed lazily. Dean did some work on the Impala, Sam did research, Bobby also did research and Jo made herself feel more human.

Christmas morning dawned bright and cold. It was snowing, and they woke naturally, Sam traipsing down the stairs an hour after everyone else. They exchanged gifts – all small ones, but still with meaning – and Jo cried, realising that she hadn't bought the men anything. Her apologies were shot down, and they worked together to make the meal.

After their meal, they all settled down. Bobby and Sam were in a tryptophan coma, having put away half a turkey between them. Dean sat up with Jo, playing Monopoly. She turned out to be a very good player, bankrupting Dean after an hour and a half. They started trading hunting stories, catching up on the year they'd spent apart. Jo thanked him for the stuff he'd bought her, thanked him for thinking of her.

They ended up sitting up talking late into the night, talking about everything and nothing all at once. It was the first time they'd had a chat without it developing into deep topics. The fire had gone out, and Jo pulled the blanket around her further, refusing to stop talking. They finally decided to go to bed when the sun started rising, and they heard Sam going to the bathroom.

"Oh, Dean?" Jo turned and asked, Dean almost crashing into her. She stood on her tiptoes, and pressed her lips to his. His arms encircled her, pulling her closer. Dean's mouth opened, permitting her tongue access. They stood there, kissing, until Bobby rolled himself into the hallway and started slow clapping. They separated, foreheads touching, lips slightly swollen and cheeks flushed, before going upstairs. Jo turned to Dean, pushing her lips chastly to his before separating once more.

"I don't want to go too slowly"


	3. Chapter 3

**So...I'm gonna have to get on my knees here and ask for reviews. I honestly don't know what people think of my little tale, so I'd appreciate if people could tell me.**

**If you recognise a character, I don't own them.**

They'd been hanging out in Bobby's. Dean and Jo were dancing around each other, giving Sam and Bobby a chance to make crude jokes. Despite this, and despite their attraction, they refused to even consider dating, or putting a name on their attractions. It was obvious they felt something – Dean refused to let Jo out of his eyesight for long. Instead of working on the Impala, he'd help Bobby out by installing shelves at ground level, and moving all the books off high shelves down. He also made Bobby a proper bed in what had been the office, blocking it off from the other rooms and getting Sam and Jo to buy an actual bed – online. Jo hadn't left the house without Dean since Carthage.

They were getting restless, hunters weren't supposed to be cooped up in a house without actually hunting something. The most they did was man the phones, usually trying to get Garth out of trouble. With the Apocalypse being nigh, many hunters didn't want to have anything to do with the Winchesters, and Bobby was considered an honourary Winchester. Jo was starting to be one, too.

The phone rang, and Bobby answered it. It was his direct line, not one for his many personas.

"Singer...hang on, calm down. What's happened?"

The three others turned their heads at the change in tone for Bobby. He sounded almost caring – a tone that they'd only heard him use with Jo when she'd gotten back, or with Dean and Sam when they were kids.

"Martin, what are you talking about? You're in the damn looney bin...ok. Ok. I'll send someone down that way soon. Goodbye, Martin." He hung up the phone, cursed, and wheeled around to them.

"You guys up for a hunt?" Bobby asked, looking at the trio. Sam was on one couch, Jo and Dean on the other, knees touching.

"Sure, what is it Bobby?" Jo was the first to speak. The brothers would have said no if they thought that Jo didn't want to go, but she did. She needed to do something again.

"Mental hospital down in Oklahoma. That was Martin Creaser, you met him once or twice. Job turned him loopy. There's something killin' those patients, and marking it up as a suicide. He wants the three of you to work out whatever it is and kill it. Quickly. There's three dead inside three months – even for a looney bin that's damn high."

The three nodded, and decided to rest in Bobby's for a night before taking off the next morning to Ketchum, Oklahoma.

They'd been driving for five hours before they stopped at a Biggerson's, both to get food and to strategise.

"I've been looking up stuff like this, it's called a folié a deux – a madness of two -" Jo began, before Sam cut across her "Wasn't that a Fall Out Boy album?"

"Yeah, now shut up. It's when two people share a common delusion, because they spend so much time together. I think I can convince the doctors that the two of you have it. All you need to do is be completely honest about our lives – demons, the Apocalypse, Ruby, Lilith, even the demon blood, Sam. You do that, they'll admit you." The boys agreed it was a good plan.

"I'll be the worried little sister. I'll sleep in the Impala, keep it around the corner. You find out whatever this is, and get rid of it. I'll be there, all you've to do is come back." They got back in the car and went to a nearby motel for the night. In the bar, they did a shot for good luck, before getting progressively more wasted.

Despite the hangover, they were all up bright and early to do the last four hours of the journey. They arrived outside the imposing hospital around one, after getting some food. Jo held the fake referral letter in her hand, before walking in, the boys behind her. She made a beeline for the reception desk, a bored looking woman in scrubs sitting there. Seeing Jo, the magazine in her hand went down.

"Can I help you, Miss?" Her accent was pure Oklahoma, and the way she spoke to Jo seemed patronising, even though it probably wasn't intended as such.

"Hi, I've a referral here for my brothers. I've to speak with Doctor Fuller." The woman looked at the referral – signed by Dr. Babar – and gestured, brought them down a hallway. The trio ended up in a large plush office, filled with dark wood and bookcases.

"Miss Jonas, can you explain why you brought your brothers here?" The doctor asked, a clipboard in hand.

Before Jo could answer, Dean interjected. "Jo, you're not our sister. If you were my sister, I wouldn't have kissed you like that." He smirked at her, and Jo forced herself to frown at him.

"That's why, Dr. Fuller. They just...they keep thinking weird things. There's a problem with them. But they won't accept or admit it."

The doctor nodded, before turning to Sam. "So, Sam, how's everything with you? How've you been feeling?"

"A little depressed, I guess. Probably because I started the Apocalypse."

"Come again?"

"Lemme start at the beginning. I died, Alex made a bargain for my soul. So I came back to life. Then when he went to Hell after a year, I went crazy. I started drinking Ruby's blood, because demon blood helps my telekinesis and psychic abilities. I can even exorcise demons without breaking a sweat. It's amazing. But then Alex got raised from Hell, and we were attempting to stop demons from breaking the sixty six seals on Lucifer's cage. We were wrong, and I killed Lilith, so Lucifer rose. Now the Apocalypse is happening, and it's all on my shoulders. So yeah, I'm a bit depressed." The doctor was fighting to keep his expression neutral.

Dean started speaking then. "Look, Doc, all we want is for Eddie to be healthy so that he can come back out with us and help us find these demons. I mean, Jo and I can't do it by ourselves, we'd probably have a lover's tiff or something."

With this, Jo rolled her eyes from behind the boys. The doctor buzzed a nurse in, and the boys were taken out by a nurse.

"Miss Jonas, I want to keep your brothers in for a seventy-two hour psychiatric evaluation. At the end of this, we will probably keep at least one of them in. They seem to be very co-dependant."

"That's a word for it. I'm their step-sister, Eddie and Alex's mom died when Eddie was a kid. I was born two years later. Our dad died three years ago, and it hurt them – Alex in particular. My mom died just before Christmas, and they've been getting worse since then. I just...I need to help them." Jo's voice cracked, and the doctor rubbed his hand on her back.

"Go home, try get some sleep and relax. I'll ring you in a day with their prognosis." Jo smiled, and left.

They'd booked her a room in a local motel, but she didn't want to take it. The room seemed too big without the boys there. She hadn't slept by herself since Carthage, hadn't been left by herself since Carthage. They knew – without speaking – that Jo needed company. Now she was completely alone. Bobby had said she could ring him, but she couldn't. She refused to admit that she was weak.

Sam and Dean had left their usual clothing in the car, so that they didn't lose it. Jo pulled out the leather jacket that smelled so unmistakably of Dean, and put it around her, the too-big arms going far past her hands, and the leather reaching down to her mid-thigh, instead of just past Dean's ass. Wearing the jacket, she walked into a diner, ordering the all day breakfast.

"You ok?" The waitress asked, bringing over a plate that was loaded high with bacon, sausage, pancake and waffles. There was a small jug of syrup on the tray too.

"I'm ok. Just upset."

The woman looked Jo up and down. "Boy troubles?"

"How'd you guess?" Jo asked, around a mouthful of pancake.

"Cause when a pretty thing like you walks in wearing a jacket that's so old and far too big for you, I'm guessing it means a lot. And I'm guessing it means a lot to the guy who you keep smelling off it, cause a girl doesn't smile like that if she smells her daddy." The woman sat opposite Jo, looking at her.

"I had to say goodbye to my...I don't even know what to call him...we're not dating, but we're always together. And we've feelings for each other. But...I dunno."

The waitress pulled a blonde hair from behind her ear, played with it, and put it back in place before speaking. "Usually, someone who's like that is a soulmate."

Jo snorted, coffee running out her nose. "Ha, Dean? Believing that he has a soulmate? He doesn't...heck, he doesn't even believe in love anymore, I don't think."

"Well make him. Now eat up, your food will be cold and you need more meat on your bones." The woman left Jo with the check. Jo finished eating, paid, and walked back to the motel. It was eight, and finally acceptable for her to go to sleep. She crawled into the queen bed, but couldn't sleep. Booting up Sam's laptop, she found a movie online and watched it. And another. And another. She kept watching movies until the sun rose. She checked her phone – not expecting a text from the boys, but wishing all the time. It was six, and her stomach was growling. Jo walked to a different diner, and got pancakes and bacon. She poured maple syrup over the two, smiling to herself at the thoughts of what Dean would say, seeing her eating one of his favourite breakfasts. She finished, paid and walked across the street to a bookstore. If she was gonna have to wait in the Impala all day, she'd at least have some fun.

She picked up three books – a romance, an action book and the latest True Blood book. Despite the inconsistencies with actual vampires and shifters, they still were entertaining and allowed Jo to believe that vampires and humans could fall in love.

Time passed in the car. Jo was parked under a streetlight, so that even when it got dark she'd still be able to read. Around four, she got out and strolled to a café, grabbing a coffee, sandwich and salad. Jo carted the food back to the car, opening and closing the front seat. Every so often, she looked at the two cell phones in the centre console, wishing one of them would ring, or wishing that the owners would magically appear.

It was hitting eleven, and Jo was going to go back to the motel for a few hours of tossing and turning when she saw two figures all in white sprinting to the car. The driver's door and back seat door opened, and the brothers threw themselves in, while Jo buckled up. Dean turned the keys, pushed the car into drive and drove out onto the night. Dean drove till two, when Jo insisted they turn into a motel. There was a Motel Six at the next exit, and Dean drove into the car park.

"Yo, Sam, get rooms? Two." Sam got out, his hoodie covering the hospital issue shirt. Jo motioned to get out, but Dean grabbed her hand, pulling her back into the car.

"What was it in there, Dean?" Jo asked, looking into the older man's eyes. She knew it was a bad idea. She knew that Dean was six years older than her, an adult. Not like her. She may be twenty five, but Dean was thirty-one. If they had a normal life, he'd be settling down, raising a family. She'd be finished college, working. They wouldn't find each other.

But this wasn't a normal life.

Instead of answering her, Dean reached to her, his hand holding her jaw. She nuzzled in, his calloused hands rough against her soft skin. His green eyes held her brown, staring in with such intensity, such passion...and uncertanty. She wasn't sure if he was uncertain he was uncertain she wanted him, or if it was the right thing. Determined to extinguish it, she touched her lips to his. It wasn't really a kiss, more two pieces of skin meeting, but when Dean gasped, and opened her lips it was a proper kiss. Jo felt like she was on fire, in a good way. She shut her eyes and wound her fingers into Dean's short hair, feeling the silky strands end so suddenly. Her other hand was at the back of his neck. Dean moved her onto his lap, one arm around her waist and the other behind her head, fisting the long blonde hair. He realised that she was wearing his jacket and smiled, breaking the kiss. Their foreheads were touching as they looked at each other, eye to eye, nose to nose.

"My jacket, Jo?" Dean smirked at her, and she pecked him on the lips.

"I missed you. I just...I wasn't there. What if you'd died, Dean. I can't. I can't cope with that." Jo's eyes filled with tears, but she refused to cry. Not again.

"I'm not gonna. Not when I've you to come back to."

The 'chick-flick' moment was ended by Sam opening up the back door. "C'mon, two rooms booked. You can actually get a room, Jerk."

Dean shot back his customary "bitch" before getting out of the car, keeping one arm around Jo. They grabbed their bags, and took the proffered key from Sam before entering the motel room. Dean shut the door and locked it behind them, dumping his bag onto the ground. Jo followed suit, before they kissed again. Hands went everywhere, frantically pulling off items of clothing. The boots were kicked around, their jackets and shirts went one way, their jeans and underwear another. Jo lay on the bed, Dean on top of her.

"Are you sure you want this? Because the second I undo this bra, Jo, I'm not gonna be able to stop. I'm not gonna be able to stop till you know just how much I love you."

"Dean. I love you and I swear, take this damn thing off me."

Dean undid the clasp behind Jo's back, before slowly taking it off. He stared at her, stared at the beautiful woman who was under him. How did he get so lucky? Their bodies moved in unison, eliciting matching moans and gasps. They just wanted each other, nobody else.

Dean collapsed beside Jo, completely spent, panting for air. He pulled her close, his large arms wrapping around her far smaller body, their legs entwining as if they could become one person. They fell asleep like that, just holding each other.

It was the first night since Carthage that Jo slept without nightmares.


	4. Chapter 4

**Please review it? Pretty please? PRETTY PRETTY PLEASE? Sorry, I like knowing what people think.**

**Once again, I'm not Kripke so it's not mine.**

"Hey Bobby, what do you have?" Sam was lounging on the back seat of the Impala, feet hanging off the seat so Dean didn't yell. His cell was pressed to his ear as he listened to Bobby. "Donna? Our old babysitter, Donna?...yeah, we'll head over. We're around seven hours away, we'll get there by morning. Yeah, I will. Bye." Sam pushed the end call button, simultaneously calling over to Dean

"Dean, we're gonna have to do a u-turn. I know you wanted to tackle that haunting in Wheeling, but Bobby's just rang. Remember when Dad kept us in Massachusetts for almost a year?"

"Yeah, I remember. Housatonic. Small town, we'd a babysitter."

"Yeah, Donna rang Dad's cell, the one Bobby keeps running. She's been having...trouble."

"Trouble?"

"Poltergeist. It's after her thirteen year old kid now."

Dean let out a soft curse. He hated jobs that involved kids, they always seemed worse. Jo rubbed his hand, placing hers over his on the gear stick as he shifted the Impala into reverse to execute the turn. Soft moment over, they both went back to what they were doing – Dean to driving, and Jo to repairing a pair of socks. She'd put a hole through the toe of them. Although it would have been easier to throw them away, she insisted on attempting to repair the hole. They were the last present Ellen had given her – a five pack pair of socks, because Jo complained her new boots were blistering her. Tears ran down her cheeks remembering the day.

They were in a motel room in Bloomington, Illinois. Jo had finally splashed out on a new pair of boots, but kept complaining that they were chafing and causing blisters. Ellen grew fed up of the moaning, and had gone out. It wasn't till after Jo had finished bandaging the blisters – all eleven of them, thanks very much – that Ellen arrived back, carrying a five pack of hiking socks, throwing them at her daughter. Jo put them on and put her feet back into the boots, feeling the cotton cushioning her from the worst of the pain. They were far better than the thin ones she had been wearing.

Jo fell asleep, sock and needle still in hand. They pulled into a gas station, and Sam put gas in the car before going inside to pay for it and pick up some snacks. Dean took the items from Jo's hands, placing them down on the bench seat between them.

"Mom...Mom" Jo groaned, her body stiffening in her seat. Dean didn't know if she was having a nightmare or not until her next words. "DOG!" Dean unbuckled his seatbelt, shaking Jo awake.

"Jo...Jo, babe, c'mon. Wake up. Jo." Her hazel eyes flashed open, focusing on Dean's face.

"It's not just a dream, Dean. I saw it. I saw my Mom die. I saw her...I saw that damn hound rip her open. I'm an orphan, Dean. And I know you are too but dammit I can't. I remember having two parents. I remember being happy...and now I don't think I can be."

Dean moved across the seat, wincing when the needle pinched his ass. He brushed it off, and put his arm around Jo, trying to comfort the crying woman. She leaned in, breathing in the scent that was just Dean, trying to calm down.

She hadn't told him how bad the nightmares were, although she thought he knew. That hound had been going for Jo, if Ellen hadn't moved to protect her it would have been Jo in that store to blow up the hounds. That thought was almost as bad as the thought that she'd never see her mother again.

Sam knocked on the window, and passed Dean in the sodas and water. With one final squeeze, he moved away from Jo, passing her the drinks and the sandwiches Sam had procured for them both. Sam sat in the back with a salad and water.

"If you even so much as almost spill some of that dressing on baby, Sam, I swear..." Dean let the threat trail off in midair, not willing to admit that he'd castrate his brother with a rusty spoon. Not that he would. He'd just incapacitate Sam for a few days...weeks.

They continued driving, and arrived in Housatonic a little after six. It was decided that they'd get some shut eye, as it was Sunday morning and nobody would be up for a while. Sam stretched out on the back seat and fell asleep almost immediately, his soft snores echoing in the confined space. Jo pulled herself into one corner of the seat, her head on the window. Dean watched her sleep for a little while, before realising just how creepy he was. He wanted Jo to come across to him and sleep with her head in his lap, but ever since they'd slept together she'd stayed away. They'd hug if she had a nightmare, that was it. Even when they shared a bed, she stayed away from him while awake.

Jo was hurting, and Dean couldn't stop it.

He fell into a fitful sleep, but they were woken around nine by a woman rapping on the car window.

"Dean, is that you? You're so grown up!" Dean shot to attention hearing the woman speak, but relaxed slightly when he saw who it was. His childhood babysitter had grown up, become respectable. It was weird to see. "Is that Sam? The shortest kid in his class is now a tree? And who's this?" Donna asked, not meaning to be rude, but just shocked that there was someone she didn't know in the car.

"That's Jo, she...helps us." Dean was curt. The other two were awake by now, so they got out of the car and went inside. Donna's daughter, Katie, was on the couch, a multi coloured quilt pulled up over her. The girl was obviously in pain.

"Donna...do you mind if I talk to Katie alone? Girl to girl." Jo asked, adding a smile in for good luck. Donna stared before nodding. "Sure, I'll be in the kitchen with these two."

Jo went into the room, shutting the door behind her, before sitting down in an overstuffed armchair opposite the preteen.

"Hey, Katie, I'm Jo. I know what's been going on, and I know it's scary. But you need to listen to me, ok? I need to know everything you know about what's been going on, alright?"

The girl stared at Jo, before blurting out everything. The lights, the missing clothing, the damaged furniture. Jo listened, until the last thing the girl said hit her hard. "...and then it sat down beside me on the bed, and touched me. And I started bleeding...Mom cleaned it, but won't let me look at it."

"Do you mind if I look?" Jo asked. Katie stood up, wincing at the motions. "Close your eyes." Jo stated, wanting to spare the girl seeing whatever had happened. She took off the gauze and winced, forcing herself not to gasp at the writing crudely carved into the flesh below. 'Murderd Chylde' was written there in capitals, just deep enough so Katie would probably always have a scar. She covered it back up carefully, and told Katie to open her eyes. The girl was obviously in pain, so Jo left her on the couch to try relax, opening and closing the door quietly.

"Hey, Jo," Dean said, before getting back to the matter at hand. "It looks like a poltergeist. Take your family, and go on a vacation for the weekend. Go relax, let Katie heal up. Come back Monday and we'll have taken care of it."

Donna nodded and hugged the boys and Jo before returning to her daughter. Sam saw that Jo had been shaken by what she'd discovered.

"Jo, what did Katie say?"

"It's more what was done to her...this is one damn angry spirit. It hacked into her, carved the words 'murdered chylde' into her stomach, deep enough to scar." She shook with anger, unable to believe that someone could inflict that kind of pain to a child, even though she knew better.

They decided to go to a diner for lunch before researching who the spirit could have been. Jo cringed at the over the top blue red and white decor, while Dean ordered for them from the pimpled teenager behind the counter.

"A bacon burger turbo, large chili cheese fry, large cheeseburger meal and a health quake salad shake," Dean announced, handing over everyone's respective meals. Jo dove into the burger, before realising that it really wasn't that good and slowing down.

"But, did you ever think that you'd want something like that? A family?" Dean was staring at Sam while speaking.

"No, it's not my thing anymore," Sam replied, staring down at the laptop screen in front of him. Jo's heart broke for Sam, he'd been so close to everything he'd ever wanted, but had had it ripped out from him.

The table was silent for a moment, until Sam spun the laptop around. "I think we're dealing with the spirit of Maggie Briggs. Donna's house is built on property that used to belong to Isaiah Pickett. Isaiah allegedly hung Maggie in his back yard for being a witch."

"Right. I say we split up. Sam, you go look around the house, Jo and I can look further afield for Maggie's burial site. But first, I say we library it up to try find out more about Maggie and Isaiah." They nodded, before tucking into food and not speaking.

It was after eleven, and they'd been searching for signs for hours, but found nothing. Jo and Dean decided to walk back to the motel and move their bags in, while Sam said he'd get food. They'd had the bags in and had been lying around for half an hour and Sam still wasn't back, and he wasn't answering his phone.

"I'm worried."

"He probably got caught in a bar rush or something. We'll do a three block loop then come back. He'll probably be back by then though." They pulled their boots back on and did the loop. Fortunately, Sam was back in the room when they arrived.

"Dude, why didn't you answer your phone? Seriously." Dean was pissed, and let Sam know it.

"I'm sorry, jeez. I brought food though." Sam gestured to the bag from the turbo diner, pulling out his own burger and large fries before handing the bag across to Jo. "We need to eat fast though...I kinda let the maid in and she freaked seeing the guns."

"YOU WHAT?!" Jo yelled. As motels went, this was a decent one. Hot showers, complementary soaps, things you didn't usually get.

"She just knocked on the door, didn't yell housekeeping or anything. By the time I realised, I'd the door open. I thought it was the two of you!" Sam was insistent. They devoured the burgers before starting to bring the stuff out to the Impala to decamp to the next town. Dean and Jo brought the weapons duffels out first, before returning for their own. Sam stayed, needing to use the bathroom.

They left the room, the key in the door and were almost to the car when Sam turned around.

"Hey, Dean, can I drive?"

Dean knew his little brother was annoyed at himself for letting the maid in, so agreed. Jo took the back seat to stretch out and get some sleep on the twenty minute journey. No sooner had she laid her head against the window than was it jolted. Sam had crashed the damn car.

"Right, out. Jo, you're back shotgun. I'm not letting the giant here near this steering wheel, driving priviledges are officially REVOKED." They swapped seats before heading for the motel, checking in, and settling down for the night. Sam took one bed, Dean took the other and Jo insisted on the couch. Dean refused to fight her on that, much as he wanted to lift her into the bed.

They got up around seven and went for breakfast, before having a strategy meeting back in the motel.

"Sam, at the library yesterday, did you get any other information on Maggie Briggs?"

"Yeah, I know all about that legend – including that it's wrong. Maggie was pregnant with Isaiah's illegitimate child, so he killed her and buried her in the basement."

"That would explain the markings on Katie's stomach...Maggie was upset over her own child, and couldn't bear another one living there." Jo sounded distant. They should have left her out of this case, a mother daughter one was too soon.

"Right then, let's get to the basement." Dean said. Jo stood up and patted her pocket.

"Where's my cell? I had it last night. Did either of you take it?" She was frantic, patting all her pockets and diving into her duffel. Dean grabbed her by the arms.

"Jo, we'll find it. I promise."

"Dean. That phone has my last text from Mom, my last voicemail...even a stupid fucking video that she made when I left it in the room she was in. I need it. I can't let that go...it's the only thing keeping me together is having Mom with me." Jo started sobbing, great wracking sobs, making her whole body shake. It wasn't pretty crying, it was bitter, painful, snot filled sobs. Dean clutched her to him, sitting her on his lap, letting her cry into the shirt he was wearing. "I can't lose that, Dean. I can't. I need to go back to the motel before. I need to find it. I need it."

"We'll drop you at the motel while we go do a salt and burn, ok? You'll get it back Jo. I promise." He held her while her sobs quietened, rubbing her back softly, feeling the vertebrae even through her clothing. Sam stood there, mouth open, staring, until Dean jerked his head to the bathroom door to give them some privacy. Jo wiped her eyes, and looked up at Dean. She looked adorable, her eyes were red from crying, her nose red from blowing it, the rest of her skin pale. He reached down and without even meaning to, kissed her. It was a chaste kiss, neither of them wanted to ruin the moment by adding face sucking to it. They separated, and Dean placed his lips against her forehead.

"We need to stop doing that," Jo breathed, not taking her hazel eyes away from Dean's green.

"Or we need to do it more," he replied, a slight smirk playing on his lips.

"I can't, Dean. I can't give you everything you want, everything you need in a girl. I'm broken." Her voice cracked slightly on the last word, but Dean heard it.

"Yeah, well so am I. So together, maybe, there's enough pieces to make a whole." It was more chick-flick than Dean intended, but he was honest. He hadn't asked Jo to sleep with him the night they thought they'd all die just to do it, he'd honestly wanted her to be the person he spent the last night on Earth with. If only she'd realise this.

"I can't promise anything, Dean. I won't. And I'm not just going to sleep with you."

"I'll wait."

"Seriously?"

"Yup. Celibate Dean, from now on" He replied, glaring when she scowled.

"I'll believe that when I see it."

"C'mon, lets go rescue Sammy from his self imposed bathroom prison. We'll drop you off at the motel before going for this salt'n'burn." The trio left, dropping Jo off at their original motel before making their way to Donna's.

Sam wasn't on his game, and almost got them both killed. Dean knew there was something wrong with him when he yelled "Awesome!" after he'd burned Maggie. He ignored it though, even when Sam ordered shots and bacon burgers, and even when he went off to sleep with a woman. Jo didn't.

"That's not Sam." She said, straight to the point.

"Jo, you saw with your own eyes, that's my brother. He still has his damn tattoo, so he's not possessed. He's...different."

"Dean, listen to this voicemail." Jo pulled out her recovered cell and went to the voicemails. "Jo, it's Sam. I may not sound like me but I'm me. I've been body switched with that guy from the diner yesterday. I don't know how or why, but there's something BIG going on here. Please find me." The tape cut off there, and Dean stared at the piece of metal and plastic.

"I'm gonna kill fake Sam." Dean stated, looking straight ahead. They agreed the best thing to do was wait. They went back into the motel and Jo got into bed, being spooned by a swathe of Dean's clothes in his approximate shape. Dean sat in the overstuffed armchair beside the door, and they waited. It was after eleven when Fake Sam arrived back. Dean stayed silent, watching as Fake Sam took out his gun and cocked it, just standing behind him. But when he aimed the gun at Jo, he jumped, knocking it to the ground and immobilising the 6'4" imposter. Jo knocked him out with the butt of the gun, and between the two of them they tied him to a chair. It didn't take long for him to rouse.

"Where's my brother?" Dean spat, his anger barely contained. He wanted his damn brother and he wanted him now.

It didn't take long before Dean convinced the imposter to give up Sam's location. They formulated a quick, very iffy plan and ran, pulling Fake Sam along.

Standing outside the basement door, Dean listened to what the demons wanted Sam and him to do. He stayed still until Gary wavered at the demon's offer of him being powerful if he said yes to Lucifer, and ran in, brandishing Ruby's knife. Jo watched from just outside as Dean was kicked bloody. She stood in the open door crack and began reciting the exorcism incantation, before moving in and saying it louder. As she got near the end, the demon realised, and silenced her by pinning her against the wall. Dean picked up from where Jo left off, and watched as the demon left.

"Adios, Bitch!" He finished the incantation, watching as the black smoke left the room, bound for Hell.

"Actually, it's a-di-_nos_" Gary said, then shut up with the look Dean shot him.

It didn't take long for Gary to reverse the spell, and Dean hugged Sam when he was back in his body, a hug Sam greatfully returned, before pulling Jo into one as well. After a lecture on witchcraft for Gary, they left him in the room filled with his friend's corpses.

They left, and climbed into the Impala, deciding to go to Bobby's for a short visit.

"You know that apple pie life? We're not missing anything" Sam stated, after ten minutes of silence apart from the faint strains of Black Sabbath.

"Or maybe we don't know what we're missing," Dean replied, before turning onto the interstate and highering the volume of the radio.


	5. Chapter 5

**I seem to be writing longer and longer chapters as I go on. It feels good to stretch my writing muscles again. Please review?**

**So I don't own Supernatural, but if I did you can bet your ass that Cas would have had a larger role.**

Dean sat on the bed, his hands under his head. The motel room door opened, and he called hi to his brother.

"I'm definitely not Sam, Dean." Jo replied, stripping off Dean's leather jacket to reveal herself in a black and red lace babydoll, complete with a matching thong. Dean stared at the blonde, her usually straight hair teased out, make up on her face.

"Jo...wow..." Dean was speechless.

"I've decided, waiting is pointless." Jo walked over to Dean, her movements fluid in her high heels. She was almost as tall as Dean. He sat up on the side of the bed, getting ready to stand, but she held his shoulders down.

"Don't even think about it," Jo grinned, and Dean allowed her to keep him sitting. She began a lapdance, teasing Dean, grinding into his lap, feeling his arousal begin. She kicked off the heels and straddled him, the babydoll going over her hips, and the Anna Milton walked through the wall, and Jo just disappeared.

"This is what you dream about?"

"That is none of your business," Dean stated, trying to fix himself to hide his rapidly disappearing arousal. "Why the hell are you even in my dream, Anna?"

"Well, I can't find you any other way, and I needed to speak to you. So a dream it was."

"Yeah, Cas warded us from angels."

"Castiel. There's an angel you can trust."

Dean stood, staring at the red head. "What the hell are you talking about? Cas is our friend."

"Dean, who the hell did you think turned me in? Your beloved Castiel did. I've broken out of prison up there and I don't have much time. Meet me, 225 Industrial. Bring Sam, and come quick." Anna disappeared, and Dean woke up.

"Cas, get your feathered butt down here now."

"Dean, my buttocks don't have feathers." Cas' voice came from the end of the bed. Sam and Jo shot awake, but relaxed when they realised it was the angel.

"Cas, Anna got into my dream. She said she broke out of heaven, and wants us there. We're going, but will you check it out. I'm worried." There was the sound of wings and Castiel left, leaving three wide awake adults behind. They were downing coffee, ready to leave when Cas arrived back, looking slightly worse for wear.

He explained what Anna had said while simultaneously preparing a locator spell. About how she wanted to kill Sam.

"So she's gone all Glenn Close? Freaking awesome." He punched the wall, then shook out his knuckles. Jo sat in shock, while Sam spoke. "Is she right? Would killing me end all this?"

There was an uneasy silence for a few too many seconds before Castiel spoke. "No...she's Glenn Close."

They stayed silent, watching the angel work.

"I've found her." Cas spoke quietly, almost unhappy that he'd discovered her.

"Well, where is she then?" Dean asked, determined to find the Angel that wanted to kill his little brother.

"It's not where, it's when. Anna can't get to you while I'm here, so she's going to go after your parents instead. She's in Lawrence, Kansas. In 1978." The enormity of Castiel's words sank in after a few seconds. Sam's legs collapsed, landing the man on the bed. Jo's eyes grew wider, and Dean just stood there.

"You need to send us back. Now." Dean needed to go back and stop her from doing this, stop her from killing his parents.

"Dean, it's difficult enough to time travel, but now that I'm cut off from Heaven? I can't bring three with me. I could possibly do it with two passengers, but I doubt you could decide who to leave."

Jo spoke up. "Sam needs to stay. Dean, your mom has already met you in the past, right? She knows you, she can trust you. And Sam, you're warded from angels, they won't find you here. If Anna gets the chance in seventy-eight, she'll kill you. She's never seen me, she doesn't know me. I've a better chance." Dean coughed at the "seen me" part, but wouldn't reveal the dream he'd had under pain of death. Ever.

Sam looked, and nodded. "Fine, but I expect the three of you to first get me food. I'm gonna be holed up in a motel room for a week, I'd like to have enough food here to survive it." He wanted to argue, but Jo was right. There was no point in arguing, every second they wasted was another second that Anna had to get to the Winchesters. After thirty minutes, they were ready. Dean hugged his brother, and Jo followed suit. Castiel gripped the two arms, and they disappeared with a pop. Sam made a sandwich and settled in for a week of TV.

The first thing Dean saw was a new Pinto. The seventy-eight model. "Definitely the right year." As he spoke, Cas collapsed, Jo holding him up. He was coughing blood. They dragged him to a motel, checking in and dumping him on the bed.

"Looks like we're on our own now." Dean said to Jo as they walked down the street.

"What are we doing first?" She asked, looking at him.

"First of all, Joanna Beth, we're getting you clothes. You're sticking out like a damn sore thumb in that." Dean said. Jo was in combats and a hoodie. Normal clothes for the twenty first century, but not for Kansas in the seventies. They stopped at a store, and Jo bought jeans and a tshirt, and changed. Looking more like normal people, they went to the library and checked the phone book. John and Mary hadn't moved into Dean's childhood home yet, but lived a few streets away, far away from where Mary and her parents had lived.

They pulled up outside the house in the rented car, and Dean just looked at the window. He could see movement inside...his parents. They were alive.

"Follow me, and play along." Dean said, before going to the door and knocking. He passed a gold ring to Jo, who looked, frowned, and put it on.

Mary Winchester opened up her front door, and looked at the two there. "What are you doing here? You shouldn't be here. I'm not a hunter, I have a normal life now." She tried to convince them to leave, but John walked up behind her. "Mary, who is it?"

"Mr. Winchester, is it? I've heard a lot about you. I'm Dean, this is my new wife, Joanna. We're Mary's cousins. We're on a road trip right now, and figured we'd come visit Mary. We haven't seen her since the funeral."

John took Dean's hand and opened the door wide. "Well come on in, we've enough for dinner for everyone, right Mary?" She nodded, and gestured inwards. Dean took Jo's hand while walking in. She squeezed it tighter than necessary so he knew of her disapproval, but took it.

They all sat in the kitchen, Mary looking uneasily at the two of them while John prattled on, unaware that anything was wrong.

"Well, Dean, how are you and Mary related?" John asked, looking at Dean intently.

"We're distant cousins. Mary's dad was like a grandfather to my brother and I. We didn't have your address, Mary, or we would have invited the two of you to the wedding." The phone rang out in the kitchen, and John got up to answer it. Mary stared at the two of them.

"What are you doing here? I've a normal life, I want to have a normal family. I want the two of you to leave and never come back." She was angry, barely keeping it under control.

"Mary, we've discovered that there's something after you and your husband. We want your life to continue, normally. But we need to solve this, or it'll kill you and John. And believe me, I don't want you dead." Jo stated, staying calm. If she started yelling, John would come in and their hopes would be in vain.

"What the hell is after me that I can't handle? I've dealt with demons, ghosts, shifters, skinwalkers, the lot. Please tell me what I don't know how to kill?" Mary pushed her long blonde hair behind her head, staring at the two of them.

"It's an angel. An angel wants to kill you and John to try stop future events from happening. And if she does it, a lot of crap is gonna hit the fan. You think demons are hard? Angels are even bigger dicks." Dean realised that he could no longer hear John in the kitchen, and stood up.

"Jo, check the yard." They shot into position, and discovered a note on the table from John.

"Mary, where would John go if he went out now?" Dean was urgent.

"The garage, maybe? His boss sometimes calls him in late, we need the overtime money." Mary looked at Dean and Jo who went straight to the door.

"Come on, but be prepared." Jo didn't even turn to look, but heard the woman grab keys and follow them out.

There was no time for planning anything. Dean turned the corner and saw Anna attack John, going to kill him. He ran, but she stopped him, grabbing him and throwing him through the window. Mary went in doing hand to hand combat, and was good at it. Anna got the upper hand after a few moments, throwing Mary onto a car.

"Hey, Anna!" Jo yelled, before enacting the sigil she'd drawn out of her own blood. Anna disappeared, and Jo ran over to help Dean out of the glass. While she was helping Dean, John came to and stared around.

The four ended up in John's car, driving to the house Mary had inherited from her family before they'd died. John was both driving and ranting, about monsters being real, about his wife knowing about them all.

"How long have you been doing this?" He asked to nobody in particular, but Mary and Dean answered "All my life." simultaneously, receiving a groan. Mary began to explain, but John simply cut her off.

They arrived at the house, which was filled with salt and iron. Dean took Mary to show her how to use the holy oil, while Jo started making sigils.

"What do I need to do?" He asked Jo. She ignored him, finishing drawing her sigil. Dean came up behind.

"Salt the doors and windows."

"Let your wife do that. I'll make the sigil, how big?" John asked, taking the knife off the counter and cutting his hand. Dean smirked at the action.

"You remind me of my dad," he replied, before showing John what to do. John and Jo worked in unison, before John started speaking.

"How long have you known about demon hunting?"

"Got raised into it. So did Dean."

"Who does that to a child?" John asked, his voice trailing off.

"Usually, someone well intentioned. My mom and dad ran a bar that hunters used, I was always around it. Dad died when I was seven, mom died two months ago. Dean and his brother had it tougher. Their mom was killed when Dean was four, his brother was only six months old. It was a house fire, caused by demons. Their dad needed to find out what killed his wife. He loved her."

"Who does that to kids though? I can understand your life, but them? That irresponsible bastard, they could have been killed!" Jo stopped a giggle bursting out when John called his future self irresponsible.

"Sam thought that. His dad died to save Dean...Sam never got to tell him he was sorry, that he didn't mean to abandon them when he went to college. Sam lost his girlfriend to the same demon, he understood after that, I think. It hurts that he never got to apologise to his dad, though. Dean and their dad were close, but Sam was a lot more like his mom." Jo stopped herself talking then, John looked moved by her words. The two continued working, the silence friendlier than it had been minutes beforehand.

Dean and Mary were in the other room, setting up what would effectively be holy oil molotov cocktails, and setting up rings of holy oil.

"So, are you going to tell me why this angel is after John and I?" She asked as she poured.

"It's complicated, you wouldn't believe me." Dean replied, drawing Enochian symbols in the oil. He stopped as he watched Mary stand up and head for the front door. "Where are you going?"

"I'm not just going to stay here when I don't know what's happening, Dean. Why are you back here? Who even are you?"

"I'm your son." Mary turned on her heel, staring at him. "An angel – a friendly one – zapped Jo and I back here from the year 2010 to save you. I'm Dean, named after your mother. My little brother's Sam, named after your dad. My grandfather. When I got sick, you'd make me tomato rice soup, because that's what your mother made for you. I made it for Sammy. Instead of a lullaby, you'd sing 'Hey Jude', that's your favourite Beatles song. You told me angels were looking over me." Dean was tearing up admitting the truth, and his words hit the young woman, and she started crying.

"How could I...how could I raise you to be hunters? I wouldn't."

"You didn't, you're dead."

She blinked, twice, staring at her son who was older than she was. "What happened?"

"Yellow eyed demon. He killed you, and...John became a hunter to get revenge. He raised us this way." They stared at each other for a moment, and Dean realised that he could change the lives of everyone. "Listen to me. A demon comes into Sam's nursery exactly six months after he's born, November second 1983. Remember that date, and whatever you do, do not go in there. You wake up that morning and you take Sam and you run."

"Dean...it's not gonna stop it." Jo spoke up from behind. She'd left John and had been standing in the doorway. "The demon will find Sam and Mary and then what, Sam goes into the system?"

Dean shook his head. "Then leave John." He ignored the gasps from both women. "You leave John, and Sam and I aren't born. Then none of this happens." He stayed away from looking at Jo, focusing fully on Mary, ignoring her shaking her head. "You have to leave John because if you don't, it'll affect a lot more than just the five of us. It'll affect everything. Jo'll grow up with two parents, and Sam and I won't be born. There's a big difference between not being born and dying, believe me." A sob broke from Jo's lips, but Dean made himself ignore it, made himself stay turned away, stay staring at Mary. He couldn't allow himself to see Jo upset.

"I can't leave him. I can't."

"This is bigger than you and him."

"Dean...you're too late. I'm pregnant." The word fell from her lips with a dull clang. Jo's heart leapt, but Dean's sank. Before it fully hit him, John came in.

"The sigils, they're gone. And the lights!" All around them the lights flickered. Mary reached down to the holy oil, and found it was gone. The lights went out fully, and Anna was standing there, Uriel beside her.

Dean ran to attack but got thrown through a wall, as did John. Jo tried next, but Anna threw her into a beam. Jo screamed Dean's name as she fell, but landed silently, blood dripping from her mouth. While everyone else was incapacitated, Anna stalked towards Mary.

"I'm really sorry," Anna stated coldly, looking at Mary, angel blade in her hand.

"ANNA." She stopped herself from stabbing the woman.

"Michael?" She asked, looking at what was formerly John Winchester. Michael reached out and touched her, burning her to a crisp. He gave Uriel a sharp look and left. Dean stood up, staring at the man who wanted him to give up his body.

"This talk is long overdue, Dean," he said. He didn't sound completely like John, his voice was more melodic, not as gruff as the ex-marine.

"You need to fix Jo, you need to save her." Dean insisted.

"I will, after we talk."

"How did you even get in my dad, anyway? I thought I was your vessel." Dean tried to be snarky, but his fear was overpowering him.

"I told John that if he willingly let me in I'd save his wife. He said yes. Simple swap. I'll even patch them both up and let them forget about this night completely." Michael sounded like it was the easiest thing in the world for him to do, just to repair the lives that had been shattered hours previously.

"I just want you to understand what we have to do. Lucifer rebelled. He hated one of Our Father's creations. He hated humanity, and he made a point of it – made such a point that he fell. This battle has been predestined for eternity, Dean. God intends us to win. You'll follow his call, because, like me, you're a good son."

"Trust me, take it from someone who knows, that's a dead-end street." Dean's flippant remark seemed to enrage the angel.

"What makes you – one unimportant, little man – think that he knows better than Our Lord?"

"I get to choose what I do with my life."

"You don't, Dean. Free will is a lie. Think of how many random acts it took for Mary and John to be created, to fall in love, to have you and Sam. A million, billion, trillion coincidences, all falling perfectly into place. It's Destiny, Dean. Humans call Destiny falling in love, but it's not. It's what God intends it to be. Free will is an illusion, that's why you're going to say yes. I'll even be nice. I'll ensure that you don't turn into a drooling mess like my brothers leave their own vessels. I'll even fix up your parents, make sure they don't remember tonight."

"But she'll walk straight into that nursery!"

"Dean, don't you realise? You can't beat city hall. I'll fix up your beloved Joanna, and send her back to 2010." As Michael was speaking, he moved towards Jo, and simply placed his finger on her forehead before she disappeared. "I'll even send you." He moved to Dean, and put his finger on his forehead "But I'll see you soon, Dean."

Dean woke up on the bedspread in the grotty motel room. Jo was beside him, and Sam and Cas were at the foot of the bed.

It didn't take long to explain what had happened. They packed in silence, but before leaving Dean cracked open three beers, handing one to each human in the room. They sipped in silence, before Dean broke it.

"This is it."

Sam looked at his brother as if he'd gone off his meds. "This is what, Dean?"

"This is Team Free Will. An ex-blood junkie, a girl with a knife collection, a drop-out with six dollars to his legal name and an angel cut off from heaven. We're the team that's going to stop the damn apocalypse." Dean took another drink of his beer.

"That's really not funny." Sam growled.

"All the angels think we'll say yes, apart from Cas. So all we've gotta do is prove Cas right and say no. We say no, and it can't go ahead. We can defeat it." Dean said, watching Jo's ass as she walked into the bathroom.

"Dean...Michael got Dad to say yes."

"Yeah, but Anna was gonna kill Mom, that's different." Dean replied, pointing out the patently obvious.

"What if it was Jo and you could save her. What would you say then?"

Dean didn't reply. He couldn't reply.

And he didn't know that Jo had listened to every single word he'd said through the bathroom door.


End file.
